Week Four - Personality Tests

Jung Typology Test

Results: ENFJ
- Extraverted: 22% (slightly expressed extravert)
- Intuitive: 25% (moderately expressed intuitive personality)
- Feeling: 50% (moderately expressed feeling personality)
- Judging: 22% (slightly expressed judging personality)

Analysis: To state the obvious first, personality tests are not always reliable. They rely heavily on the current state of the test taker, and any other outside influences or stressors could give an inaccurate reading. This test leaves this pitfall wide open; however, I do believe that this personality test is somewhat right in their analysis. The test presented was simple and understandable (ableit repetitive in their questions), and the results are not unbelievable. All in all, I think this test was a good tool for those who wish to get a good feel of their own personalities--but perhaps shouldn't be taken so seriously.



Find Your Hogwarts House

Results:
- Gryffindor: 46
- Ravenclaw: 73
- Hufflepuff: 74
- Slytherin: 66

Analysis: Somewhat comical in its purpose, this quiz doesn't reveal much about the taker's personality other than major behavioral characters. For example, Hufflepuff describes states that its members are "friendly, fair-minded, modest, and hard-working." Is this all? This could describe each and every one of us to a certain degree.



Big 7 Personality Styles

Results:
- Ambition 2.90 (Medium) - People who score similar to you in Ambition occasionally end up taking control in social situations but often let others control the situation. You are probably not uncomfortable in positions of leaderships, but you also do not seek out situations in which you will have to lead.
- Sociability 3.50 (High) - People who score similar to you in Sociability see themselves as talkative, animated, and outgoing. You probably prefer to interact with other people, meet new people, and feel as though you are more energetic than others. Most often you freely express your happiness and enthusiasm.
- Likeability 4.10 (High) - People who score similar to you on Likeability see themselves as very sympathetic and kind. It may be distressing to you to see anyone else unhappy so you sometimes sacrifice your own desires to help someone else. You probably hate conflict and rejection and make it a point to treat others with love, compassion, and respect. For this reason you may be quite good at maintaining relationships.
- Prudence 3.10 (Medium) - People who score similar to you on Prudence tend to be achievement oriented but make sure to take time out for an earned break. You probably work hard for what you really want, but try not to let responsibility concerns dominate your life. Even though you may think you procrastinate, you are probably just hesitant when you are unsure of your goals.
- Adjustment 2.60 (Medium) - People who score similar to you on Adjustment tend to be stable under stress but not without a more emotional side. You may either experience strong reactions but tend to control your expression when you’re around other people, or experience strong reactions infrequently so you tend to feel you’re justified when you do express your emotions. You may be moody, irritable, or tense at times, but probably keep your feelings in check most of the time.
- School Success 4.00 (High) - People who score similar to you on School Success prefer to break new ground and challenge tradition. You probably found school to be interesting if not easy. You may enjoy doing crossword puzzles and reading.
- Intellectance 4.00 (High) - People who score similar to you on Intellectance tend to be creative, imaginative, and inquisitive about your world. You are probably willing to explore all sides of the most complicated and controversial issues, and may be most frustrated by the slow pace of change.

Analysis: I am actually very impressed by these results! It breaks down all of the personality objectives very clearly (even farthur than the Big 5) and does a very neat job at describing the test taker. I hate to say that any sort of personality quiz could be perfect, but the fact that this is so fairly accurate makes me question my initial assumption of one not existing.

Week Three - College Student Personality Disorder Letter

Dear Mom,

Being out of high school makes me feel sort of grown-up around here, but I won't lie about missing you and Dad. I haven't made a lot of friends on campus yet, even though it's almost the end of the first semester. You guys know that I've always had trouble making friends with people, and the fact that I now have so much homework and stuff isn't helping. I know you're concerned with that kind of stuff... but don't worry. I don't need anybody in my life right now. Boys just cause too much trouble, and I don't need the heart break or the rejection.

And I don't mean to worry you or anything... but I still haven't declared my major. You've always said that it's important and all, but I just don't know. I wanna make a choice, do something for myself for once. It's hard, though, Mom. It's like when I was a little girl, back before I started therapy and medication. I felt everything at once and never knew when to stop myself. It's the same now, Mom. College is just a whirl wind of so many people from so many places, and every single time I look in their eyes, I forget what I'm supposed to feel and what I'm supposed to say to people like them. I know I'm confusing you, but I'm confused, too. Why is all of this so difficult?

I swear, Mom, I love being out here and the freedom that I get, but how am I going to do this on my own? You want me to do well, be the daughter you always wanted, but how? My professors are a constant reminder that I'm going to let you down, that all of this is just going to disappear and you're just going to walk out again. I know that sounds cruel, but it's true--and it scares me. I hate thinking these things, but I'm just so terrified all the time about the fact that you're so far away and there's no one here that knows what to say to me that won't set me off. I don't want to be like this to everybody, but I can't help it. Why is everybody like this? Why can't this all just be more simple?

I'm sorry, Mom, but this must be so depressing to read. Believe me when I say that it's even more depressing to write. I promise to do better for you.




P.S. I'm still trying to stop smoking, but with all of this stuff, it's not easy. I'll quit when all of this stress from school goes down. (And please don't lecture me about that, Mom. I don't want to hear any crap about it. You always point something to me like that, and I don't need, especially now. Have some compassion, OK?)

Week Two - Anxiety Disorders (Case Study 3)

Case Study 3: Bert is 40 years old and works on an assembly line in a brush factory. He is terribly afraid of being contaminated by germs. He avoids shaking hands with others. He won’t eat in the cafeteria. He has trouble leaving the bathroom because he isn’t sure he has washed his hands well enough.

According to the DSM-IV, Bert's compulsions are classified as repetitive behaviors which reduce his stress and anxiety; these compulsions are classically defined in OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD usually associated with persistent ideas, thoughts, and impulses that inhibit regular activities. The most extreme examples of OCD includes the fear of "contamination." Bert's symptoms confirm the diagnosis: reoccuring and persistant thoughts that can be intrusive in one's life, excessive worries about one's life, attempts to ignore such impulses, and a recognition of such impulses. Bert possess ALL of these, and thus would be a prime cantidad for OCD.

Treatment for OCD can be managed (but not treated!) with anti-depressants; however, some people find medication to be intrusive and, in a sense, has been documented by some to make them feel "numb." Another alternative is group therapy with other patients who also possess OCD. In fact, the latter is often described by many to be the best treatment. Patients with OCD commonly describe a feeling of isolation from others because of their inability to cope with their disorder, believing that they are "in it all alone." In these support groups, OCD patients are given the opportunity to meet with others who work with the same problems they do.






http://www.biologicalunhappiness.com/DSM-OCD.htm
http://www.peaceandhealing.com/personality/obsessive.asp
http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/ocd/site/Transcripts/best_ocd_treatment.htm
http://www.ocdla.com/OCDtherapygroups.html

Week One - Psychological Disorder Profile (Albert Einstein)

Born in 1879 in Germany, Albert Einstein's parents knew that their son was different. By the age of three, he had yet to learn to interact socially with his peers. He was often described by his family as being withdrawn from others, constantly repeating everything he said multimple times, difficulty choosing socks to wear, and possessing a strange fascination with building houses out of playing cards. Because of these strange repetitive actions, Albert Einstein's parents genuinely began to think that their son was mentally retarded. At a glance, this would discourage anyone from believing that young Albert would accomplish anything as a adult. However, things changed when, at the age of twelve, Einstein picked up his first geometry book and began to learn.



From this point forward, Einstein's noted genius (and perhaps insanity) in mathematics began to emerge. At the age of fifteen, Einstein dropped out of school at the advice of a teacher and moved to Italy. He found great difficulty holding down a steady job, but behind the scenes, Einstein was publishing top-notch articles. The reception of these articles earned Einstein a spot as a professor at the German Univeristy in Prague. Five years later, Einstein left his wife and two sons just before the First World War broke out, and a year later, he completed his theory of relativity--the theory that would explain all theories. With his life's greatest works complete, Einstein's yearnings to make another impact upon the world dwindled until his death in 1955.



It was not until the last decade that it has been discussed that Einstein's unusual mannerisms and habits might not have been just the mark of a genius. Documented by Hans Asperger in the 1940's, Asperger's syndrome is a subgroup of autism, a psychological disorder characterized in a patient whom possess a particular, circumscribed area of interest, difficulty comminicating with others due to their stunted verbal growth, and extreme sensitivity to textures on their skin--all of which Einstein presented throughout his life. With this knowledge now available, Einstein's actions, attitudes, and simple manngerisms can all be explained. His disease not only facilitated his interest in science and therefore his career, but also what made this genius a genius in the first place.



To measure the extent this disease might have taken its toll on Albert Einstein objectively might never be known, but putting oneself into his shoes puts it into persective. Asperger's patients commonly suffer from clinical depression, and since my own family has a history of the disease, I know what feeling like you're crazy can make you do. Not know how to communicate with others nor decode their nonverbal messages must have been one of the hardest things Mr. Einstein would have had to endure.





"Albert Einstein in Brief." The Center for History of Physics 12/28/2007 7 Nov 2008 http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/inbrief.htm.

"Einstein and Newton 'had autism'." BBC NEWS 4/30/2003 7 Nov 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stm.

Fattig, Michelle. "Famous People with Asperger's Syndrome." Disabled World 12/28/2007 7 Nov 2008 http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/article_2086.shtml.

"What is Asperger's Disorder." Asperger's Disorder. 7 Nov 2008 http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/article_2086.shtml.